lids for an old 75 gallon

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xander

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 19, 2003
Messages
330
Location
Mpls MN
So I have this old 75 gallon tank that has no lid. I am using some scrap glass and plexiglass as a temporary lid to slow evaporation. I can't seem to find a glass top that fits this beast. I have no idea what company made it but here is a picture with a clue.
IMG_0194.JPG

that center brace measures 10" wide. So I could fit most any lid with that much leway but the length from inner lips is a whopping 23 1/2". I would like a tight fit since I have a lot of tanks in the same space so I need to cut down on the humidity. Anyone have a clue who made this tank? I thought a unique center brace might give it away.
 
Looks like my old tank ... a used Oceanic of 1960's vintage.

I doubt you will find a lid for that today, as the newer Oceanics all have the standard wide top trim that takes the standard lids.

My suggestion: Make your own lid.

You can get the hinge & back plastic pieces separately. One source:
Large Glass Canopy Hinge 3/16" x 36"

That is a 36" hinge, so you can cut it to size for your tank. Get a glass shop to cut the glass to size & it is a cinch to make a custom glass top.
 
it must be a copy, I have one too, that is brand newish. there is no way it is from the 60's. Did they even have silicone back then??
 
I would measure how much area you want covered and have a glass dealer cut it for you. You can make your own hinge by setting the two glass pieces edge to edge with a very small gap between them. Tape off each side of the gap as wide as you want the hinge and then lay down a bead of silicone sealant. Smooth out the sealant with something flat (i used a paint stirring stick) and then peal off the tape. Let sit overnight and viola, you have a hinged cover!
 
I agree with spoonman. I had my lids cut out of 1/4" glass, but I didn't put on any hinges, I left the back open where the filters go and just drop food in the filter current to let it spread it out. Pics on my profile if you wanna know what I mean.
 
I think I'd buy the plastic hinges for glass tops before I'd try to make a silicone hinge. They're cheap.
 
Thanks all. The new Oceanic lids are a half inch to narrow. I got the back strip already so I know how thick I want the glass. My neighbor cuts glass for a living but I don't know the shop he works out of. I think I'll commission him to get me some glass thick enough to fit the back strip and to the dimensions I need for this tank. I read somewhere that door sweeps make for a good hinge. I got some at Menards today so I'll try that. I'll have to ask the glass cutter if I should shorten the depth a bit to accommodate the hinge.
 
It looks like my 40 long made by ODell from the mid 1970s and a top for it will be easy to make. You can buy the plastic hinge material from places like Foster&Smith and can also buy the back plastic strips there. All you need to do after that is get some decent measurements and have a local glass shop cut you some glass to fit. A simple lifting handle for the front part of the glass lid is nothing more than almost any object glued to the top of the glass with some aquarium silicone.
 
I talked to my neighbor (a glass cutter by trade) about it yesterday. I should have the glass for this tonight.
 
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